What does YFC mean to me? Being there at the hardest time of my life

I’ve always enjoyed being active. Whether that is being out on the quad bikes on our dairy farm or being part of our YFC’s jump rope competition team, I’m not one for staying still.

So when I suffered a life-threatening spinal injury that put me in hospital for six months and which has left me unable to walk, it was absolutely devastating.

What is getting me through it is the support and friendship of everyone in YFC. When I was in the spinal care unit at Oswelstry Hospital – more than an hour away from home – some of the other patients didn’t have very many visitors. I had people come to see me nearly every day from Young Farmers’ Clubs all across the county, as well as Shropshire and Cheshire.

I know it was hard for them to see me like this. But every single person came – no one was afraid to come and see me. And I think we have helped each other through.

Typically, I was doing something sporty when the accident happened. It was a few weeks before our club was due to compete in the regional finals of the NFYFC Jump Rope competition. I’d gone to a trampoline park with my friends – I landed badly and broke my neck.

I knew how serious it was when it happened. They tell me I was probably an hour away from dying. But I was awake and I remember all of it – I’ve got a very good memory of everything and what was going on around me.

And yet the first thing that ran through my mind after the accident was, ‘Oh no – what are the jump rope team going to think?!’

They were absolutely fantastic, of course. They always kept me involved, throughout the rehabilitation process. They all came to see me in the hospital and said I was a bit of a coach! I kept messaging them and spurring them on. I was trying my best to stay as involved as I could.

They got through the West Midlands finals and then went on to come second in the national finals. NFYFC gave me a certificate, which was really good.

But it’s not just the moral support. Young Farmers are practical people – if they see a problem, they want to find a solution.

So my friends took it upon themselves to raise funds so that I can get some specialist equipment to help me in this next stage of my life – they called it ‘Get Moseley Back On The Move’.

They’ve done all sorts of things like long distance bike rides and have raised an incredible £20,000. It’s going to make a huge difference for me – I’m still getting used to my new life so I’m not rushing into buying equipment yet. So far, I’ve ordered a new wheelchair, which I’m due to receive in November. And in the new year, I should be moving into a new home which my family have been preparing for me on the farm – once I’m settled in there, I’ll have a much better idea of what I’ll need to ‘Get Moseley Back On The Move’.

I’ve got no use of my legs. I’ve got movement in my arms but I can’t move my fingers. But it doesn’t stop me. I can pick stuff up and hardly anyone can tell I have no movement in my fingers.

It’s a steady process and you’ve just got to take each day as it comes. I’m still sorting out physio but I recently had a car assessment so I’ll be able to drive around. I even managed to sit on a quad bike the other day! It was my first time back in the field in eight or nine months and it was overwhelming.

I feel very lucky to be a part of YFC. If I wasn’t, I don’t know what sort of state I’d be in now.

And I’m going to stay involved. In fact, I’m quite motivated to be our chairman one day. I’m already a man in a chair, so I’m halfway there!